Concrete tie.



R. J. WELLS.

CONCRETE TIE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16. 1914.

LQWJW, Patented Dec. 26,1916.

PATENT UFFICE.

RALPH J. WELLS, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

CONCRETE TIE.

amaze.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH J. VVELLs, citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete Ties, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway ties and particularly to ties constructed of reinforced concrete or other plastic material.

The object of the invention is to simplify thestructure of such devices whereby they will not only be cheapened in construction, but will be more efficient in use, more safe in operation of. maximum strength and unlikely to get out of repair.

As heretofore constructed, concrete railway ties designed as substitutes for the ordinary wooden ties, are found too rigid and lack the resiliency of the wooden tie. One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide in such a tie resilient sleeper blocks upon which the rails are supported which will afford the desired elasticity.

The tendency of concrete ties when subjected to the impact of heavy traffic is to shatter or check beginning at the top surface. Such .minute cracks due to the vibration of the tie beginning at the top surface are gradually extended downward until the tie is broken.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide suitable reinforcing means located in close proximity to the top surface of the tie, which shall serve as a truss to strengthen the tie and to pre vent the initial shattering or checking and if such shattering should occur to hold the tie together in such manner that the progress of the fractures will be retarded.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reinforcing means that will connect the rails together in such manner as to prevent the spreading of the rails should the tie be broken.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof and the mode of operation or their equivalents as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

Application filed March is, 1914. Serial No. 825,134.

perspective view of the completed tie with one rail secured in place. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view partly broken away of the completed tie. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line a-a of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 6-4; of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse view of the reinforcing means removed from the tie, the several parts being arranged in their relative positions.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

The tie forming the subject matter hereof is molded from concrete or other m'milar material into an elongated body recessed on its under side to form a series of offsets or shoulders 2. The tie body 1 is of greatest thickness at points adjacent to the rail positions as shown at 3, the extremities of the tie body being formed into overhanging ledges 4 of less thickness than the rail supporting portions 3. The recessed central portion 5 of the tie may if desired, be provided with an opening or recess 6, which necessarily reduces the weight of the tie and the quantity of the material necessary and further assists in anchoring the tie as here inafter described. Located in recesses or cavities formed in the rail supporting portions'3 of the tie are sleeper blocks 7 of wood, composition or other similar semi-resilient material.

or recesses in which they are located thereby providing ample space around and beneath the block for a cushion of asphaltum or other resilient moisture proof material. This cushion or filling of asphaltum sur rounding and beneath the sleeper block 7 compensates for the contraction and expansion of the block and seals the recesses to prevent the entrance of moisture and preserves the blocks against decay. The cushion further affords additional elasticity or resiliency thereby obviating the tendency of the concrete to shatter or crack-under the impact of heavy traflic. The tie is reinforced by longitudinally disposed parallel spaccd angle irons 9, so located in the tie as to pass upon opposite sides of the sleeper blocks 7 Transverse reinforcing members 10 comprising rods or wires having their ends bent laterally are engaged over the upper edges The sleeper blocks 7 are .of slightly less dimensions than the cavities of the angle irons 9 holdingthe angle irons in spaced relation one with the other. Other reinforcing members comprising wires or bars bent into U shaped bights suspended upon the angle iron 9 extend transversely beneath the cavities or recesses in which the sleeper blocks 7 are located. Transverse bolts 12 passing entirely through the tie and through the longitudinal angle irons 9 serve to detachably secure the sleeper blocks 7 in position. By the disengagement of the transverse bolts lfZ-theslecper block 7 may be removed for repairs or renewal. Further by means of these bolts 12 and the angle irons 9 the sleeper blocks 7 are positively connected one with the other independent of the concrete body thereby preventing spreading of the rails even though the concrete be fractured. To truss the main body 1 to prevent shattering or checking and re tard the progress of the fractures should shattering occur, there is located in close proximity to the top surface of the tie a reinforcement of wire netting or wire cloth 13, which materially strengthens the top surface'of the body where the initial shattering or fractures usually occur. The rails 14: may be spiked or otherwise secured to the sleeper blocks 7 in the usual manner as shown in Fig. 1. The offsets or shoulders 9. in the under side of the tie body 1 serve as anchors to prevent creeping or side shifting of the tie when the tie is embedded in the surface of the road bed.

The overhanging ends 4.- projecting beyond the outermost shoulders 2 and the intermediate portion 5 between the innermost shoulders bear upon the road bed and prevent the upheaval of the road bed mate rial in advance of the shoulders 2 as would naturally occur through any shifting of the tie. The road bed material will extend upward into the recess or opening 6 in the tie thereby affording further resistance to the creeping movement.

In approved railway construction it is not desirable that the road bed shall be tamped throughout the full length of the tie. It is more desirable that the tamping of the road bed he directed to those portions of the tie adjacent to the rails while the center portion of the tie is left more or less free. A tie which is tamped throughout its full lengthjis said to center bind and there is a tendency for the tie to work loose beneath the rails and rock upon its center or to break over its tightly com pacted support in the center of the road bed when the supports beneath the ends of the tie have been lowered or worn away by the impact of the trains passing over the track. The enlarged portions 3 form well defined locations throughout which the tieshould be tamped. This has been found to be of material assistance and convenience in directcavities against the entrance of water and prevents decay of the block, while at the same time it is sufliciently resilient to permit the expansion of the sleeper block due to varying atmospheric conditions which expansion might otherwise cause the fracture of a concrete body. Likewise upon contraction of the sleeper block 7 the asphaltum cushion will tend to expand thus maintaining the cavities or recesses at all, times secure. It is obvious that the sleeper blocks may be readily removed or replaced without removing the tie from the road bed.

It is to be understood that the tie may be varied in itsdimensions and weight in accordance with the conditions under which it is to be used. Likewise the sleeper blocks 7 may be made of greater or less length and 'the cushion 8 of greater or less thickness in accordance with the material employed and the degree of resiliency desired. While the rail has been shown in Fig. 1 secured to the sleeper block 7 by the usual spike, it is obvious that any of the well known forms of rail looks or fastening devices may be employed and that if desired a tie plate such as is commonly used upon wooden ties may be inserted between the rail and sleeper block. These featuresbeing in common use and Well known in the art and forming no part of the invention, have not been illustrated in the drawings.

vention is not limited to any specific details,-

but that the means and construction herein described are but one mode of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claimed broadly in any of its possible forms or modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a railway tie construction, a main body having a recess or cavity therein, a sleeper block having length and width substantially equal to the dimensions of the cavity or recess in which said sleeper block is fitted and for which it forms a closure, and a body of semiplastic resilient material within the cavity beneath the sleeper block the relative proportions of the sleeper block and the cavity being such as to prevent the oozing of the plastic material from the cavity through the crevice between the block and body when subjected to the pressure of trafiic. I

2. In a railway tie construction, a main body having a cavity or recess therein, a body of semi fluid or plastic resilient material located within the cavity or recess, and

a semi resilient sleeper block fitted Within the cavity or recess resting upon the resilient material and so pro ortioned in relation to said cavity as to con no the resilient material therein and prevent the oozing thereof from the cavity intermediate the walls of the cavity and the block. I

3. In a concrete railway tie,- rail seats of wood embedded in the tie body, longitudinally disposed reinforcing bars extending on opposite sides of the rail seats, and transversely disposed U shaped reinforcing members suspended on the longitudinal bars and extending beneath the rail tially as specified.

4. In a concrete railway tie, a concrete seats, substanbody, longitudinally disposed parallel reinforcing bars embedded therein, wooden rail seats embedded in the body intermediate the bars, and transverse reinforcing members bedded in the tie body and extending on opposite sides of the sleeper blocks, and transverse bolts detachably engaging the sleeper blocks with the tie body and with said reinforcing bars.

6. In a concrete railway tie, longitudinally disposed parallel reinforcing bars, trans verse U shaped reinforcing members suspended on the parallel bars, and a layer of wire fabric superposed above the longitudinal bars, all embedded in a body of concrete.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 7 day of March, 1914.

RALPH J. WELLS.

Witnesses:

HARRY F. N oLAN, Errm B. $110140. 

